Conway Running Club

Here’s a great lead paragraph from Michael Cook’s blog on his Way Too Cool 50k race.  Click on the link or image to the left for the full story.  Thought is was worth sharing.

I can say very little about this race, the 2010 Way Too Cool 50K. But let me say a few things. Part of the joy of racing is the anticipation, the planning, the goal setting, the “I’m going to run…”. The other joy is the memory, the looking back, the reflection. I think sometimes there is very little joy in the moment. Read the Romantic poets like Keats and you hear of the beauty in joy AND pain, how sometimes the two cannot be separated. How is it that when running and the body hurts, we convince ourselves there’s no other place we’d rather be at that moment? The battle that rages within, the civil war between mind and body can be the determining factor, perhaps even more than the hours of physical training logged before the race. So much of the race takes place in the mind.  

It’s so interesting to hear elite athletes like Michael and Leah Thorvilson talk so much about the mental aspects of running.  It’s not how to keep from hurting in the midst of a race, it’s all about what you choose to do when it hurts.

Running Tips, Running stories

Came across this account of the 2009 Berlin Marathon.  Running an international marathon, especially a major, like Berlin, is a real experience.  Below is a link to the video of the start followed by a link with many pictures and videos of the entire event posted by Ed Tanguay who ran it.  It’s fun to look at and watch and may inspire some of you to look outside the mainland for your next marathon. 

Starting line video - the start is always a rush and this captures it well.

Full marathon report - the videos intermixed in this report give a real feel for the event.

Running Opportunities, Running stories

We received email notification of Patrick’s journey and although we are not on the running route, I thought it was important for all of us to know about this running event that will be taking place in Arkansas for the next week or so.  You may know of others who are in the route Patrick is running or may choose to travel to meet him – or maybe support his mission.

Hello Running Club members of Arkansas,

Patrick McGlade is a young 21-year-old college graduate from VA running across the country to promote awareness and raise money for the children afflicted with juvenile arthritis.  He started in Huntington Beach, CA on Jan 2 and will be passing through Arkansas from Mar 8 – Mar 19.  We invite your membership to join him at any point running through Arkansas.  Run one mile or 30 miles, your choice! 

Visit his website by clicking on the image above for further details concerning route and how you can support. 

You can also call him at 540-845-3162 to coordinate a joining point.  If anyone would like to host him for an evening in their home, feel free to contact me to coordinate.  Again, look at the “host” column on his Route page on the website and see which days are still open.

If you feel this is appropriate, I ask you to forward this email to your membership so they can be part of this historic run!

Thanks for all your support,

Desi McGlade

(Patrick’s dad – Logistics coordinator for PatricksRun4Arthritis)

Running stories

A pack of Conway runners are on their way to New Orleans and from the looks of this photo that just showed up on Facebook, they are already doing some serious carb loading for the race!  Travel safe and bring back a finishing time, maybe a PR, possibly a Boston Qualifying time, a medal and memories to keep you getting up and out on the road, running with your friends. 

Wishing all of you a safe and wonderful time at the New Orleans Half and Full Marathon event.  It’s been fun training with you and we can’t wait to hear the results and stories.  In fact, if you want to follow them throughout the race with updates texted to you, you can click here to sign up for updates.

Running stories

There may be some holes in the “science” of this study, but it’s worth pondering his findings and considering them for yourself.  With  that in mind, read on.

Paul Williams has only run one marathon in his life, but by his own research, he could probably benefit from running a few more.

A scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Williams has put together the world’s largest study on runners, and the evidence found over 20 years of research points to an important conclusion: When it comes to exercise, more is almost always better.

“When I started my study, everybody sort of knew exercise was beneficial. The government was saying you get benefits by walking three or four times a week. My data has shown the more you do, the greater the benefits,” Williams said. “I’ve had people doing 100 miles a week of running, and you could see benefits up to that level.”

To be sure, Williams is not suggesting that everyone try to run 100 miles a week, or even half of that. But for years, he’s been a critic of national guidelines that recommend people get at least 150 minutes of exercise a week, or about 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

That’s a fine goal for the couch potatoes, Williams says, but <read more>

Running Tips, Running stories

Life’s accomplishments start with a goal (or a dream), are joined by others who share your goal (or dream) and end up as memories that we look back upon and cherish.  And when those goals (or dreams) also contribute to keeping us healthy, we get the bonus of living longer with more friends who share our goals (or dreams).  Over and over this is the reality of the Conway Running Club.

I wonder, what is the big deal about qualifying for Boston?  Is it the journey or the destination?  Is it the friends you gather along the way or the feeling you get when you qualify for or finish the Boston Marathon?  Or maybe it is what you learn when you try and try and never qualify.  Whatever it is, it seems to be the buzz of running communities everywhere and whether you qualify or not, there is a lot of life to be had by hanging with the people who are chasing this goal (or dream).

Most of the group in the picture above are training for the New Orleans half or full marathon.  All of them just finished a 23 mile training run.  Claudia is laying it on the line to get to Boston, Cindy is putting in the miles to finish her first marathon (no time goal allowed on the first – finishing is the goal!), Don is the voice of experience, Jami is along for the training runs and each other person has a goal (or a dream) they brought with them as they ran together around Conway today. 

What’s your goal (or dream)?  If it involves running, these and the others in the Conway Running Group are a great group to chase it with.

Running Opportunities, Running stories, Training / Racing

Met up with a runner this morning who was in my Soaring Wings 2:10 half marathon pace group a couple years ago who was out running.  I slowed to run and talk with her.  Here it is, 5:30am, dark and I’m out running and meet up with someone who I helped win her age group a couple of years ago in a half marathon.  After being “scolded” for not being there this year and explaining that I was out of town at my sister’s wedding, she tells me this awesome story. 

At the end of the race this year, she was looking up at the clock and someone in front of her slowed (my thought is she got excited and started sprinting, looking up at the clock) and did a face slide into the finish line.  She said she heard “paramedics to the finish line” on the loudspeaker and remembers trying to explain to them that she had to get her timing chip past the finish line but they wouldn’t let her get up.  She still won the Top Female Senior Runner (over 60) division.  Way to go Linda!  This makes me laugh every time I think of it.

What an awesome story.  And what a great sport we have where we can get out and meet people we would not otherwise meet and all stay healthy and share common goals together.

Running stories